AP Mobile unveils new look and features for Android

NEW YORK -- The Associated Press today released a major redesign to the Android version of AP Mobile, its popular, award-winning app.

The new Android app (version 4.0) will have native Android features and design elements and provide an experience consistent with the bold new iOS version. Both the iOS and Android apps allow users to access AP breaking news from around the globe and local content from more than 1,100 contributing news providers.

The new tile-based interface allows for deeper, faster engagement with the app’s rich coverage of breaking news and major stories of continuing interest, from fashion week to the health care overhaul to the Olympics. In addition, local content from Seattle to Boston is more easily accessible and customizable from the home screen.

“The redesign of AP Mobile for iOS was a huge success and we’re thrilled to make these enhancements available to Android users so they can access high-quality local content as well as the big, enduring stories that they care deeply about,” said Michael Boord, global director of mobile products. “We’re working closely with our local content providers to showcase some of their unique content for a wider audience.”

For example, AP Mobile recently featured an in-depth, interactive series on the ocean produced by The Seattle Times and news about Bonnaroo and the CMA Music Festival from The Tennessean in Nashville.

Maria De Varenne, executive editor and vice president of news at The Tennessean, said: "This venture was a first for us with the Associated Press. It was a team effort to get it launched and a big part of why our music site outpaced last year's numbers."

AP Mobile also provides enhanced display and an integrated experience for both national and local advertisers.

“Brands have a fantastic opportunity to align and integrate on specific events and topics that are important to them,” said Ken Detlet, vice president of digital advertising and sales at AP. “They can reach AP’s influential audience in a meaningful way and surface content to enhance the user experience.”

AP Mobile was recently named to Business Insider's “App 100” list and took top honors in the 2013 EPPY Awards, winning Best Mobile Application with more than 1 million unique monthly visitors. The app is available as a free download at the Apple iTunes or the Google Play app stores. Since its release in 2008, AP Mobile has been downloaded more than 12.5 million times.

About AP
The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, AP today is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from AP. On the Web: www.ap.org.